Those you who have been following the story will know this all started some while back when Jimi Tatu, who runs DS-Arts and the Fetlife groups Adult Rope Art and Japanese Rope Art – Kinbaku – Shibari, claimed that Osada Steve ‘stole’ the Osada name. This resulted in Steve’s ‘Kiss Me Slander‘ article. Fortunately or unfortunately, Tatu managed to get it censored removing the quotations from his odious emails to Steve. This technique of censorship is one he employs regularly as members of his groups will be all too aware. Both Nina and I were removed from his groups after daring to mention this and he then published a denial to which we were consequently unable to reply. So, on to more evidence to undermine his lies and expose the truth for all to see.
As you’ll know from my recent posts, Ren Yagami has been staying at my place. As Aizen, a professional translator who speaks French, Japanese and English, and is a ‘kinbaku maniac’, was also here, I decided to check some finer points on the translation of the article that NuitdeTokyo had sent me about the meeting between Hiromi Saotome,Kazumi Osada, Steve Osada and Miki Mori where his succession was discussed. Yagami-san was consulted on the translation and thus the conversation turned to the whole subject of the Osada legacy and Tatu’s rumour-mongering. After an exchange with Aizen, he reached for his tablet and pulled up Web Sniper, the on-line version of SM Sniper. Below is a transcript of the ensuing conversation, which I believe to be very accurate, with no attempt to change the wording and only a few asides left out. I’ll upload the original recording to the Members Area. However, I warn you that the audio is pretty awful as the levels were all wrong on my phone recording app so it crackles horribly on peaks.
Aizen: One article was published on SM Sniper…erh, the web version. It was an interview with Osada Steve which was written in 2006 and was republised on Web Sniper
Me: I don’t know whether… There are two articles here, I don’t know if the other one is anything to do with it because I don’t have any translation for the other
Aizen: Ah, it’s not this one
Me: No, no, there’s this one but also this one, I think, another…another one here…umm. I don’t know which is which, anyway…
Aizen: Something very important is written here. So I will tell you…
Me: OK
Aizen: I will read, so I will translate.
Aizen: In 1996….(reading caption on photo)
Me: Photograher and journalist
Aizen: In 2001 after he…and now it is written as he wished before he passed out (away) they decided…she decided…all the people around
Me: Was that maybe…I dunno…the meeting here or not (the previously translated interview) or was that something different?
Aizen: I’m reading here (Web Sniper)
Me: Yeah, yeah. I wondered if it was someting different. I just wondered if it was referring to that meeting* that’s all
Aizen: When he was alive. He said directly to Osada Steve “You have my…erh, not my permission but, you know, my…
Me: Blessing?
Aizen: Blessing? Of course! “You have my blessing, I’m giving you the name Osada to use and please use it”
Aizen: But more informations are here. But before offered something
Me: Perfect, perfect!
Aizen: And he said the following sentences, he said “At the beginning I’d like him to copy my style, I would like him to use every rope I used and I wish he would be able to copy everything I’ve done but after he can master every thing I teach him able to produce his own style on his own name, my name ”
Me: Mmm, mm, perfect!
Aizen: So, he has given his blessing and permission. Everything!
Nina: Better than that there could not be!
Me: No, no, that is…
Aizen: But it was written inside his interview …when Osada Steve was interviewed
Aizen: But Tatu that guy can say “No, he’s lying. He’s a liar”, he can say anything he likes as it’s his (Steve’s) interview but if he says that, I understand your feelings, you are completely pissed off. He’s proposing something for you.
Me: What’s that?
Aizen: Because he likes you and he says I will assemble the whole evidence for Osada Steve, you and everybody to be happy. So as soon as I will be back in Japan…
Me: Fantastic!
Aizen: All people who are related to Osada family and all of the people who knew directly the big sensei and will assemble the whole evidence together…everybody signs.
* The meeting with Hiromi Saotome,Kazumi Osada, Steve Osada and Miki Mori, see: ‘The Eikichi legacy: More on Dr D Vice becoming Osada Steve‘
If there was one shred of doubt about Steve’s right to the Osada name, he would most certainly not be where he is ttoday. In Japan, the use of names is not taken lightly and it is a great honour to be allowed to perpetuate the name of your sensei, especially when he happens to have a place in history as the father of SM entertainment. If Steve had usurped the name, you can be assured that doors would have slammed in his face and he would have been unlikely to get a gig anywhere. I cannot imagine the ensuing shit-storm if he had lied in the interview above since it was published twice in the leading SM publication in Japan and read by most serious kinbaku fans.